Magic Lost, Trouble Found (2007) Lisa Shearin I came across Lisa Shearin through her SPI files, which I thoroughly enjoyed. So I decided I should probably look into checking out her Raine Benares. I then read a short story set in this world that was a prequel to the first book. It also was interesting, […]
Fiction River: Hex in the City (2013) edited by Kerrie L. Hughes “King of the Kingless” by Jay Lake “Speechless in Seattle” by Lisa Sliverthorne “Thy Neighbor” by Nancy Holder “Somebody Else’s Problem” by Annie Bellet “A Thing Immortal as Itself” by Lee Allred “Geriatric Magic” by Stephanie Writt “Red as Snow” by Seanan McGuire […]
Vampires: The Recent Undead (2011) edited by Paula Guran “The Coldest Girl in Coldtown” by Holly Black “This Is Now” by Michael Marshall Smith “Sisters” by Charles de Lint “The Screaming” by J.A. Konrath “Zen and the Art of Vampirism” by Kelley Armstrong “La Vampiresse” by Tanith Lee “Dead Man Stalking” by Rachel Caine “The […]
Werewolf Smackdown (2010) Mario Acevedo I’m a sucker for supernatural detectives (See: Simon Green & P.N. Elrod) so I snatched up the first Felix Gomez books when I came across them, then I seem to have forgotten about them, so when I had the chance to pick up Werewolf Smackdown on sale, I grabbed it. […]
Pocket Apocalypse (2015) Seanan McGuire The 4th InCryptid book. Alexander Price is a cryptozoologist–he studies and protects the unique and sometimes magical species that inhabit our world with us–species that are often sentient and can even mimic humans. Alex accompanies his girlfriend Shelby back home to Australia where her family is dealing with an outbreak […]
Salsa Nocturna (2012) Daniel José Older This is a collection of intertwined short stories. It doesn’t seem quite so at the beginning, but they are are all more than just set in the same world. The characters are ghosts and ghost hunters and those who can see the dead, and with each story you learn […]
Low Midnight (2014) Carrie Vaughn This is book 13 in the Kitty the Werewolf series, but Kitty is NOT the main character. This is Cormac’s book… well, Cormac and Amelia, the ghost who lives in Cormac’s head. I’ll be honest, I didn’t much care for the previous Kitty book, Kitty in the Underworld, but it […]
Child of a Rainless Year (2005) Jane Lindskold I recently picked this up as an ebook, when I found it on sale. I’d read it before and thoroughly enjoyed it, so was pleased to be able to get it electronically. This is urban fantasy, which means it does not have any supernatural creatures. It has […]
Halfway to the Grave, Audible Version (2007/2010) by Jeaniene Frost narrated by Tavia Gilbert I’ve enjoyed this series (although I am still sitting on the final book, waiting for the right time to read it) and I very much enjoyed the audible version. Tavia Gilbert is very good with the narration and giving different characters […]
Foxglove Summer Audible Version (2015/2015) Ben Aaronovitch narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith OMG I LOVE KOBNA HOLDBROOK-SMITH SO MUCH! (SWOON) ahem. I love this series, but I love Kobna Holdbrook-Smith’s narration EVEN MORE. Peter Grant is somewhat despondent about the events that occurred at the end of the last book (not that he’ll admit it) so […]
A Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark (2014) Harry Connolly I saw a post/comment by the author, talking about the lack of older women in supernatural fantasy, and how since he couldn’t find any such books, he’d have to write one himself. I immediately snatched it up and tweeted about it, because regardless as to […]
Dead Men’s Boots (2007) Mike Carey The last book ended with Castor being booted out of his living quarters by Pen, and the Stranger giving him 30 days to find somewhere else for Rafi, or they were sending him to Jenna-Jane Mulbridge–a fate even worse that his current miserable situation, timesharing his body with the […]
Vicious Circle (2006) Mike Carey Felix Castor can’t stay out of trouble. He’s taking some consulting work for the police, to bring in some money, but when parents as him to find their daughter–who is a ghost–Felix gets in bigger trouble than even he expected. There’s just something about the writing in these books. Felix […]
Dead Heat (2015) Patricia Briggs This is the fourth Alpha & Omega series, the story of Charles and Anna. Charles is the enforcer for all the werewolves in North America, and Anna is his wife–a werewolf herself who he rescued from a pack gone bad. If you have not read the previous books in the […]
The Devil You Know (2008) Mike Carey Felix Castor is an exorcist, a job that has been quite in demand since the dead starting coming back in the late 90s. (T)he Bible is strangely coy on the subject of the were-kind, hedges its bets on demons, and draws a big fat blank on ghosts, so […]
London Falling, Audio Book (2014) Paul Cornell narrated by Damian Lynch (The Shadow Police) I really liked the audible version of London Falling. Detective Inspector James Quill is heading the investigation (which includes undercover officers Costain and Sefton) to take down crime lord Rob Toshack. Intelligence analyst Lisa Ross has personal reasons for wanting Toshack […]
Girl Genius Volume 13: Agatha Heterodyne and the Sleeping City (2014) Phil & Kaja Foglio Needs more Jagers. Rating: 7/10 Published by Studio Foglio
Girl Genius Volume 12: Siege of Mechanicsburg (2013) Phil & Kaja Foglio The problem with Girl Genius is that it’s been running so long I forget much of what has happened previously. And the fact that I’ve had this volume for about a year before getting around to reading it doesn’t help. This doesn’t mean […]
Tales from the Nightside (2015) Simon R. Green The Nightside. “Where all your dreams can come true, especially the really bad ones. This is a collection of Nightside stories, many of which I have read before, and a previously unpublished novella. If you’re a Nightside fan, then you’ll want this. If you’re not sure if […]
Ms. Marvel Volume 1: No Normal (2014) G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphonsa Marvelous! This is a lot of fun, and had me giggling multiple times! Kamala Khan is your average 16-year-old Muslim girl living in New Jersey–which means there is nothing average about her. She wants all the things she can’t have–or isn’t allowed to […]
Legion: Skin Deep (2014) Brandon Sanderson This is the second story about Stephen Leeds, and it’s just as delightful as the first. Stephen is insane, but in an extremely useful way. He is a genius, and to use his genius he manifests different aspects who are experts on whatever he is researching. But he is […]
Bound by Flames (2015) Jeaniene Frost This is the third book in the Night Prince series, Jeaniene Frost’s take on Vlad Dracul and Leila, the woman he came to love–against his better judgment and almost against his will. First, let’s make this clear–this book is NOT for the faint of heart. Truly, this series isn’t, […]
Wild Card (2014) Lisa Shearin This short story is an introduction to Lisa Shearin’s Raine Benares series. I fully admit that despite being elves and goblins and not set in this world, I like it. Probably because it was a PI story, so the world building gets to take second place to the mystery. But […]
Cursed Moon (2014) Jaye Wells Book 2 in Prospero’s War finds Kate Prospero and the MEA (as well as the BPD) trying to keep calm in a city in a magical uproar for the coming Blue Moon. She is also struggling with her guilt over the events in the previous book, and her worry about […]
Charming (2013) Elliott James I almost gave up on this. I read the short stories and enjoyed them, but a third of the way in, the story still wasn’t doing it for me. Again, it was wanting a sense of accomplishment and a curiosity as to how things turned out that kept me reading, and […]
The Dragon Conspiracy (2015) Lisa Shearin This is the second book of the SPI files, and a fun romp. But is also has a few things that are quite different from other books in this genre. Such as this: Starting a romantic relationship with Ian and having it go bad would make our time at […]
Owl and the Japanese Circus (2015) Kristi Charish This wasn’t a throw-across-the-room bad book, but also wasn’t good. Owl is a former archaeology grad student who was manipulated and forced out of her program. She is also selfish and irritating and self-absorbed. Her only good quality is her cat, who senses and attacks vampires, but […]
Seeress of Kell (1991) David Eddings The conclusion of the Mallorean is a lovely wrap-up, but that also makes it somewhat frustrating. All the ‘i’s are dotted and ‘t’s crossed and everyone who wasn’t already married and in love ends up so by the end of the book. That’s not to mean there aren’t lots […]
Sorceress of Darshiva (1989) David Eddings This isn’t particularly one of my favorite of his book, but there are still fun parts, such as their meeting with Senji. After about three hundred years of argumentation, it suddenly occurred to the disputants that Senji was not merely talented, but also appeared to be immortal. In the […]
Demon Lord of Karanda (1988) David Eddings The third book of the Mallorean finds our heroes meeting Zakath, the emperor of all Mallorea. As with Urgit, the meeting has unexpected results, and again, Garion discovers that the Anagraks are not all he was expecting. Brador cleared his throat, fought for a moment with one of […]
King of the Murgos (1998) David Eddings < The second book of the Mallorean finds Belgarion once again on the road with companions (including my favorite, Silk) but not all those who went on the first quest are allowed on this one, which causes some grief, and will come up again in later books. And […]
Guardians of the West (1987) David Eddings I’ve been sick, so I’ve been craving comfort reading, hence my re-reading of the Mallorean. This book starts with Errand, who is living in the Vale with Polgara and Durnik. Errand is a strange child, which is unsurprising giving his early upbringing. Like the previous series, there is […]
Foxglove Summer (2014) Ben Aaronovitch When dealing with the law, having a mysterious past is contraindicated. I love this series so much. We return again to Peter Grant, police constable and apprentice wizard. He is still trying to deal with the results of the last case he worked–the one where his co-apprentice and friend Lesley […]
The Mislaid Magician: or Ten Years After (2006) Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer The third Cecelia and Kate book comes ten years after their Grand Tour. Both have offspring that seem to get into as much trouble as their mothers did when they were younger, and some of the children seem to be showing […]
The Grand Tour: or the Purloined Coronation Regalia (2004) Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer We last saw our heroines married and getting ready to start their Honeymoon Grand Tour, or travel across Europe, which begins with the trip across the Channel. “Don’t fret,” Thomas told him, in what I thought was a most unfeeling […]
Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot (1988) Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer I had somehow managed to forget how marvelous this story is. Kate and Cecy are two young ladies in Edwardian England–where there is magic. Kate has been sent to London for her Coming Out during the Season, while her cousin […]
The Devil You Know, Audible Version (2006/2007) by Mike Carey and narrated by Michael Kramer I fear I am becoming an audio book snob. All my recent favorites have been full of British accents (few of which are posh, which makes it all the better). I read the Felix Castor series years ago, and had […]
Gunmetal Magic (2012) by Ilona Andrews Started the audio version and just couldn’t get into it, so switched over the the ebook version. I read it a little slower this time, and overall it was a good book, however, this time around I found myself a little disappointed in the ending. It seemed just too […]
Gunmetal Magic Audible edition (2012) by Ilona Andrews and narrated by Renée Raudman It’s quite possible that we have become spoiled by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, who narrates Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series, but neither of us could really get into the audio version of Gunmetal Magic. The narrator wasn’t horrible or anything, but I didn’t […]
Enchanters’ End Game (1984) David Eddings And the final book of the Belgariad. Here we find Garion and Belgarath and Silk in Gar og Nadrak, which is one of the most fascinating places in his world building. The Nadraks don’t much care for their god, and have a disconcerting take on women, but unlike the […]
Castle of Wizardry (1984) David Eddings Book four of the Belgariad finds Garion and his companions with the Orb, and needing to make their way back to safety. We discover who Garion really is, and what the future has in store for him. There are some marvelous passages in this book. Such as this bit […]
Magician’s Gambit (1983) David Eddings The third book of the Belgariad opens with one of my favorite “outside the story” bits, which is how the Ulgos came to worship UL. The story feels as if it could have come out of the Torah. Then Gorim brought the creatures before UL. The creatures prostrated themselves before […]
Queen of Sorcery (1982) David Eddings The second book of the Belgariad finds Garion and his companions traveling and following the trail of an object that his grandfather can sense, but Garion isn’t sure how. This is the book where Garion comes to terms with Belgarath and Polgara, and starts to come into his own […]
Pawn of Prophecy (1982) David Eddings At one point in my life, as hard as this may be to believe, I wasn’t reading very much. College was eating my spare time (in ways that were no good for me, but that’s a long, complex and painful story that shan’t be told) and I just wasn’t […]
Fate’s Edge (2011) Ilona Andrews I like rogues. I can’t help it. I have a terrible weakness for them. Which is odd, when you consider that I probably wouldn’t much care for them in real like. But the ability to be charming while stealing you blind (but only for a good cause!) is book catnip. […]
Bayou Moon (2010) Ilona Andrews Cerise Mar is the head of her family, now that her parents have disappeared. She wants more than anything to get her parents back, but more important is holding the family together, and dealing with their three-quarter century feud with the Sheeriles. She also has to hold things together for […]
On the Edge (2009) Ilona Andrews Rose Drayton lives in the Edge, the border between the Broken (mundane world) and the Weird (magical world). She’s raising her brothers, George and Jack, with the occasional help of her grandmother. She’s proud, despite her poverty, and has one thing that sets her apart from the other Edgers: […]
Burn for Me (2014) Ilona Andrews This is the first book in the Hidden Legacies series. It ends, not with a cliff hanger, but not as cleanly as it could. Nevada Baylor runs her family’s detective agency. Her father’s death put the family deeply into debt, and the agency that bought their mortgage owns the […]
Tainted Blood (2014) M.L. Brennan This is the third book in the Generation V novel, and finds Fort helping to cover for his brother, following the death of Chivalry’s latest wife. This means he’s sent to take care of situations where he is in over his head. Luckily for him, he’s friends with Suze, and […]
Night Shift (2014) Nalini Singh; Ilona Andrews; Lisa Shearin; Milla Vane Let me be clear from the start: I read only two of these stories. In fact, I was going to read only one story, Ilona Andrews’ story “Magic Steals” until I realized the next story was a Lisa Shearin SPI files story. I very […]